The British government
said on Tuesday that it would purchase a dozen F-35A fighter
jets capable of firing tactical nuclear weapons in what it
described as the biggest expansion of its nuclear deterrent in a
generation.
The purchase of the Lockheed Martin jets would allow
Britain’s air force to carry nuclear weapons for the first time
since the end of the Cold War, Downing Street said.
“In an era of radical uncertainty we can no longer take peace
for granted, which is why my government is investing in our
national security,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a
statement.
Britain is increasing defence spending and upgrading its
military forces, including its submarine fleet, as it faces
increasing hostility from Russia and as the United States
retrenches from its traditional role as a defender of European
security.
The British government said the purchase of the jets would allow
it to contribute so-called dual-capable aircraft to NATO to
carry nuclear weapons in the event of a conflict.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said “this is yet another
robust British contribution to NATO”.
Britain’s nuclear deterrent currently rests solely on the
Trident submarine-based system, which misfired during a test
last year, the second successive test failure after one veered
off course in 2016.
The last time Britain possessed an independent air-launched
nuclear capability was in 1998 when the WE-177 free fall bomb
was withdrawn from service, according to Britain’s parliament.
Tactical nuclear weapons are intended for battlefield use,
as opposed to strategic weapons designed to be fired across vast
distances.
By purchasing the F-35A fighter jets, Britain would be able
to diversify its military options and align more closely with
NATO allies such as France, and the United States, which
maintains land, sea, and air-based nuclear capabilities.
The F-35A fighter jets are capable of carrying U.S. B61
tactical nuclear weapons. Britain would likely need the United
States to supply those weapons for use on the planes, said one
British official who declined to be named.
The United States withdrew its last nuclear weapons from Britain
in 2008, in a sign at that time that the threat of conflict
following the end of the Cold War was receding.
Downing Street said buying the new jets would support about
20,000 jobs in Britain and underline its commitment to NATO.
The government has pledged to boost overall defence and security
spending to 5% of economic output by 2035 to meet a NATO target
and said on Tuesday it must “actively prepare” for war at home<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The British governmentsaid on Tuesday that it would purchase a dozen F-35A fighterjets capable of firing tactical nuclear weapons in what itdescribed as the biggest expansion of its nuclear deterrent in ageneration.The purchase of the Lockheed Martin jets would allowBritain’s air force to carry nuclear weapons for the first timesince the end of the Cold […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31078","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n